All For One and One is All
by bardengarde
Summary: After Edward Elric's home is burned down by a pair of the King's Musketeers, he embarks on a journey to Central with his younger brother Alphonse to take his revenge. He does not realize he is about to join the Musketeers corps himself, meet two disgraced members of Xingese royalty walking their own paths of revenge,and meet the King who bears the same image as his missing father.


Two young boys stood atop a hill with a freshly dug mound of dirt in front of them; one was standing and the other was on his knees with two clumps of green, early spring grass gripped in his hands. The one who stood wept openly and loudly, his voice cracking between his gasps for air, while the one sitting was silent as tears slid down his cheeks. The expression the latter one wore was that of quiet resignation when one has cried for multiple hours already and has come to the conclusion that no matter how much they weep, how many tears that fall, there is nothing they can do to change the outcome of their circumstances. He was the younger of the two, and his name was Alphonse. The boy who stood and continued to sob was called Edward; he had kept an impenetrable wall built up as he walked beside the pallbearers, his hand resting against the pale wood of the coffin, and had even managed to keep his tears from falling as a short eulogy was read and as the dirt was shoveled back into the hole. He had only winced when a wooden marker was hammered into the mound of dirt which would be replaced in a few days time with a stone that would read...

**Trisha Elric**

**Wife and Mother**

**1633**

No, it wasn't until after he had thought all the adults had left when Edward Elric would begin to whimper and soon cry, hot tears streaming down his face. His hands balled into fists and he would clutch at his chest as he begged for this all to stop, for this to be a nightmare he had been having all along. When he closed his eyes and opened them again to find himself still standing on top of a grassy hill in the middle of a graveyard he began to heave a few incomprehensible curses to the sky and whatever entity reigned above it, and also cursed the man that was responsible for his mother's death.

It was then that Alphonse finally decided to speak up, his voice barely heard over his older brothers shouting.

"Don't say that about Dad, brother.", he interjected without looking up from the ground, "It's not his fault that…. It isn't his.."

"It might as well be!", Edward snapped back and pushed the bottom of his palm into one of his eyes as if it would stop the tears that had not since stopped flowing. "If he hadn't gone away, then Mom wouldn't have had been so sad or had to work so hard! Then she wouldn't have gotten sick! And now- he's not even here now! I hate him! _I hate him!_"

"But.. Ed.", Alphonse tried to speak again, but was interrupted by the rustling of grass behind them. Edward shuddered and turned to see a young blonde girl whose arms were filled with a large bouquet of wildflowers. Her eyes widened for a moment when they met Edward's and she instead directed them to the freshly dug grave.

"Granny told me to come get you before it starts to rain.", the girl finally said. A few thin, wispy clouds floated above; a small shower might've been on its way, but it would pass over in minutes. 

"Where did you come from? Were you listening this whole time, Winry?", Edward demanded, wiping his eyes several times and trying to make it seem as if he had not been crying. The girl locked eyes with him again and shook her head, a thin frown pulling at her lips.

"I was getting flowers for you and Alphonse. For your mom.", she said in her defense and took a step forward, but froze as Edward marched to her and grabbed a handful of the flowers and walked back to the grave. There was a beat before he bent down and offered a few to Alphonse who finally looked up and took them after a few moments pause. At the same time, the two laid the flowers at the front of the mound and Edward joined his brother on his knees with his hands resting on top of his legs. He bowed his head and closed his eyes, teeth gritting against one another.

"Thank you, Winry.", Alphonse said and quiet huff from Edward followed as his expression of gratitude.

"Granny wants you two to come home soon.", the girl repeated, "We're going to have dinner ready in a few hours." She didn't try to walk any further again.

"We're not hungry.", Edward responded, and gripped his stomach when it made an ill timed growl in defiance. He felt a raindrop land on the bridge of his nose and opened his eyes to watch a few more bounce off the petals of the flowers.

"Well... I'm going home.", Winry said and turned around, the sound of her footsteps fading as she walked down the hill. Edward remained still for a few moments more as he looked up at the bright blue sky, only a few more clouds had gathered. It was another few minutes before Edward stood and reluctantly began to walk away from the grave, as the rain began to fall more quickly and became more than a passing shower. "We should probably go.", he said and only walked a few steps before looking back to see Alphonse had not moved.

"Did you hear me, Alphonse?", he asked and was met with no response. He watched his brothers back shudder momentarily before returning back to his previous stillness. Edward frowned and opened his mouth, but refrained from speaking as the sky quietly rumbled. He turned his head and saw at the base of the hill where Winry was standing with an old woman in front of two graves that had already been grown over with grass. A small gathering of wildflowers rested on top of each of the stone markers. Winry was pressing herself against her grandmother's side while the woman smoothed the young girls hair.

The corners of Edward's eyes began to burn and he turned away. He watched Alphonse for a few more seconds and after he determined he was not going to move by himself he walked back to his side and lifted his brother up by his elbow. "Come on, Al..", he said, "We'll get sick if we stay out here, and then Winry's granny will yell at us."

Alphonse finally complied and leaned against Edward for support once he got to his feet, wrapping an arm around him. Edward could feel the front of his shirt grow wet as his brother pressed his head against his shoulder. He remained still for a moment as Alphonse turned his head away, but he could still hear his sniffling. Edward finally reached and smoothed over his brothers hair once then rested his hand around his shoulder. He was the first to walk as the two made their way down the hill and followed after Winry and her grandmother Pinako who had now nearly reached the entrance of the cemetery. Edward glanced at the graves of Winry's parents who had died a year prior, and craned his neck to look back one last time at where his mother had been buried just before they passed through the gate.

That night when Edward tried to sleep, he kept seeing his mother's face in his thoughts and his dreams. He saw her in the way she had looked before she had gotten sick- a big smile and sparkling eyes- long chestnut hair that tickled his nose whenever he hugged her. He would dream of various memories- helping pick vegetables and berries in the garden, being scolded for playing too rough with Alphonse; there was one dream where a tall man stood in the doorway with a shadow covering most of his body and Edward only glared at him until the door was closed behind him. With each dream Edward would wake up reaching out for her, and each time he would wake with his hands extended to the darkness, quilted blankets hanging halfway off the bed. The final time he awoke he found Alphonse's eyes watching him in the darkness on the other side of the bed. Did he wake him? He didn't know, but he could see his eyes shining with tears and Edward rubbed at his own for preventative measure. There was nothing either could say to comfort the other, and so neither of them spoke. It wouldn't be until just before dawn when the two were finally exhausted enough to fall into a dreamless sleep for at least a few hours.

Five years trudged past and the two boys grew older. Edward turned fifteen with the second to last snowfall of winter, with Alphonse had only recently turned fourteen days after the summer solstice. On each of their birthdays over the years they had visited their mother's grave, and also on the day they had deemed her birthday; they had come to the realization just months after her death that she had not celebrated her own birthday since after their father had left when Edward had been five and Alphonse four years old. So they had decided on a day as Summer waned to an end, just before the harvest began, when they would celebrate it for her. And on that day they would bring as many flowers they could carry as well as a candle to burn.

While their childhood home and the land surrounding it had been left to them in Trisha's will, Edward and Alphonse lived with Winry and her grandmother Pinako Rockbell, the only female blacksmith in Resembool. She was a kind and generous woman ultimately, but she was also practical and had no use for beating around the bush with her choice of words and held a firm stance that anyone who is well enough to do it is to work and earn their keep. So when the two brothers weren't helping tend to the garden they would sometimes help in the smithing shop by polishing the swords or distracting a horse with an apple or two as it was being shoed while Winry remained attendant at her grandmother's side working alongside her and learning the craft. She was only fourteen, but already possessed great skill beyond her years that she was already able to add a subtle touch of her own style to the swords, pauldrons, and various other metal works she forged.

Like her parents and grandmother, Winry was gifted with a caring personality and a strong work ethic. She was a quick thinker and adored a challenge. There would be times she would push herself to the brink so her creations were nothing short of perfect, after which she would rest for a few hours then bounce back to begin her next project. 

Edward and Alphonse would occasionally spar with her swords, especially if it was a new design, to make sure they were as durable as she needed them to be and also to make sure they were comfortable in the hand and were not difficult to wield. Despite their ages, both Edward and Alphonse were already highly skilled in the art of sword fighting and had the butcher's wife in town to thank for their talents.

There were two things Winry knew as fact with the Elric brothers and her weapons: the first being that they were both willing to push her works to the limit as she had witnessed on more than one occasion one of her creations being destroyed for whatever reason she had failed to correct before finalizing her design, and second she had noticed in all their various dueling matches with each other Edward had not once ever beaten Alphonse. She had noticed Edward was a strong fighter and was more rough in his attacks while Alphonse let him tire himself out while keeping up his defense and took the upper hand whenever Ed began to slow in his movements, and so she would respectively bestow to them an experimental design and then a simple, but reliable make. And then she would wait, watching with anticipation from the doors of the shop while her three legged dog Den would sit close by and lazily wag her tail and prick her ears upward each time the blades of the two swords clanged together.

It was on one such day while the two sparred in front of the Rockbell residence where Edward had finally managed to knock a sword from Alphonse's hand. With a triumphant shout, he angled the blade just inches away from his brothers chest. "You should see the look on your face! It seems your reign has come to a pretty disappointing end, brother!", he mocked while Alphonse's expression of shock was directed away from Edward entirely. It was then that Edward heard it, the thundering of hooves and a trumpeting neighing. He turned to see a pair of black horses being driven down the hill that led to their house at full gallop. As they drew closer, he was able to see a pair of riders donned in black robes nearly flattened against the animals backs. Sweat gleamed off the horses sides, and in the brief seconds it took to pass them a red tint could be seen at the side of their mouths around the bit; it seemed to be a miracle that either mount was still standing as there was no doubt they had already been pushed to their brink like this for miles already. The two could only stand watching in fear stricken awe as both riders bolted past on the road with no slowing as they rode for the town. A large cloud of dust trailed behind them.

Edward took a few steps forward after them, as if an invisible string had pulled him forward and suddenly broke. "What do you think that was about?"

"It has to be urgent." Alphonse replied, "They were heading straight for the town."

"I'm going to check it out- this is the most exciting thing that's happened since Teacher first moved here!" Edward declared with an excited glint in his eye, but just before he could take off a thin, but powerful voice shouted from behind him and Al.

"Are you kids alright?!", Pinako cried out, one hand gripping a hammer while the other held a short sword with a red hot blade. Sweat beaded on her brow while her lips were pulled into a frown. Despite not even standing at Winry's shoulder, she wore an expression powerful enough to make her seem twice her height. 

"Everything's fine!", Edward responded and waved with his free hand, "Looks like we've got some new visitors to our town, Alphonse and I were going to see who they were and why the hell they've come here!"

"I think it's best for you boys to stay here. I'll finish with this and-"

"Oh come on, we'll be back in no time! Besides, Al and I can pick up anything you need while we're out."

There were a few moments pause as Pinako stared Edward down while he replied with his most charming smile. The old woman then turned and walked back into the forge while the three teenagers exchanged glances amongst themselves.

"Does that… mean we _can_ go?", Alphonse first dared to speak as Pinako reappeared, having traded the hammer and sword for a pipe and coin purse, the latter of which she tossed to Edward.

"I want you to pick up a pound of beef from the Curtises while you're in town. I suppose we're having stew tonight.", Pinako said.

Both of the boys eyes lit up immediately. "Yay, stew!", Alphonse cheered while Edward sheathed his sword and took off running with the younger brother in tow who followed suit. He again promised one last time that they would be back soon.

"No fair, they get to have all the fun..", Winry grumbled as she started to walk back inside the forge, knowing full-well the work they had to finish today, but was stopped as Pinako grabbed her arm.

"I want you to go too, Winry.", she said and removed her hand to push up her glasses while giving a small grin, "Keep those boys out of trouble, won't you?"

Winry's eyes widened as she returned a huge smile, "You bet! Those idiots wouldn't survive a day without me!" She turned on her heel then ran as fast as she could to catch up, while waving back to Pinako one last time.

"Hey Ed! Al! Wait up! I'm coming too!", she shouted.

"Hurry up then, we've don't got all day!", the elder brother replied.

Pinako laughed to herself as she took a few puffs from her pipe and rested a hand on her hip, before frowning once the kids were out of sight. "I hope this isn't the beginning of another campaign.."

Edward, Alphonse, and Winry eventually arrived to the main part of town with a fresh coat of dust covering their shoes and legs and were each struggling to catch their breath. What they all seemed to notice was that nearly everyone in town seemed to be just as curious about the newcomers as they were. Children had stopped their games and shopkeepers were watching from their front windows, their gazes pointed in the direction of a local pub where two black horses had been tied to the post outside and had all but completely dipped their entire heads into the water trough.

"That's where we need to go." Edward stated and took the lead, finding it nearly impossible to keep his giggling to himself as he hopped up the small set of stairs and watched in on the two black-cloaked figures from the doorway. His expression completely melted away just as he heard the conversation they were making with the bartender. 

He held his hand out to stop Winry and Alphonse from colliding into him from behind. "And just what the hell do you two know about Van Hohenheim?", he demanded as he marched inside the pub. The two strangers turned to face him and Edward's frustration only grew as he realized that they were both masked.

"Where the hell did that kid come from?", one asked the other. 

"You wouldn't think someone that short would be _allowed_ to step foot in here.", the other replied and a brief moment of snickering was shared between them.

Edward growled and began to march towards them. "Don't think you can just ignore me! And don't think you can call me a little pipsqueak without there being consequences!" He placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, but was stopped as a hand was placed on both of his shoulders. On his right he saw Alphonse whose eyes had widened and he shook his head quickly, and on his left there was Winry who wore an incredulous expression and had also wrapped her hand around the scabbard as if it would further prevent him from drawing it.

"You do know that duels are forbidden in Amestris, and are punishable by death, don't you boy?", one of the masked strangers had asked which Edward had noticed had a distinctively feminine tone, "You should consider yourself lucky to have friends willing to save you from such an embarrassing downfall." 

It was then that Edward was able to catch a glimpse of dark blue cloth and part of an outline of an argent dragon beneath their black cloaks. Musketeers, the two of them. The only other time Edward had seen any was six years ago when a pair of them had recruited Winry's parents to serve as battlefield medics in the war with Ishval. Neither of them had returned. Winry had cried for months on end and the memory sent chills down Edward's spine. He continued to wonder what the hell these two could possibly want here, and why they were asking questions about his father.

He sneered, "_You_ should consider _yourselves_ lucky because if it hadn't been for them I would have already kicked your asses by now! And don't think I forgot- tell me what you know about Van Hohenheim."

The one closest to him grimaced and hopped from their barstool. He watched their hand reach for the hilt of their sword and just before Edward was about to force himself out of Alphonse's and Winry's grasp the other Musketeer who was most definitely a woman in disguise placed a hand on her comrades shoulder. He couldn't see her full expression, but Edward could see a sort of disinterest in her eyes that when her comrade met them she seemed to silently tell them to not waste their energy on this. This was irrelevant to their mission. And that only made Edward angrier. He grit his teeth, and was about to make another attempt to free himself when another question was asked of him.

"Tell me, boy, is it true that Van Hohenheim used to live just up the road from here? In the house near the blacksmith's forge?", the disguised woman asked.

"At one time, but he doesn't live there now. No one in this town has seen him in years and it seems all the better for it. If he's in trouble with the king, then no one here is connected to him and there's no reason for a pair of Musketeers to waste anymore of their time looking for him."

There was a spark of interest that appeared in each of the Musketeers eyes and they exchanged a glance between each other. The one who had not spoken as much finally asked, "Did you know Van Hohenheim personally when he lived here?"

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't.", Edward replied with a shrug and when faced with Alphonse's shocked expression he replied with a look that implored his brother to keep quiet.

"What _is_ your name, boy?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Another sneer. "Perhaps a trade can be agreed upon."

There was another glance between the two Musketeers, then the one closest to Edward spoke again. "Van Hohenheim is a traitor to not only the king, but the kingdom of Amestris. He, and all those connected to him or otherwise know of his whereabouts are to be brought to the king immediately."

"Damn... well I suppose it's a good thing I have no such ties to him. My name is Edward Elric." He narrowed his eyes, still grinning.

There was a scoff as the Musketeer turned back to the bartender, as if silently asking for confirmation whether Edward was telling the truth. The bartender, who had remained silent for the entirety of the confrontation gave a single, somewhat nervous nod and the Musketeer whipped their head around and shoved Edward backward.

"Get out of our sight! All of you- scram!", they ordered. Edward had stumbled back a few steps, but quickly recovered and began to charge the two Musketeers with a loud cry. He was stopped, again, by Alphonse and Winry who dragged him the remaining distance out of the pub and back on to the main street, while Edward continued to shout strings of curses in the Musketeers direction. There were even more townspeople watching as the elder Elric brother was scolded by his younger brother and Winry.

"Just what the hell were you thinking, Ed?! You could have gotten yourself arrested!", Alphonse exclaimed.

"Not just that! They could have killed him if they wanted to!", Winry added. The berating came from both sides and Edward could do little more than keep his head down as they walked toward the butcher shop.

"Alright, I get it!", he finally shouted once the three reached the doorway, drawing the attention of both Sig and Izumi Curtis as their last customer walked out.

"Edward. Alphonse. Just what kind of trouble have you two been getting into today?", Izumi asked.

The two boys responded with a small bow while Winry took the coin purse from Edward's hand and approached the counter to speak with Sig. Edward's gaze followed after her while Alphonse was the first to rise again.

"There are two Musketeers here in town and Edward nearly challenged them to a duel because they pissed him off.", he explained. Edward quickly straightened his back and shot Alphonse a betrayed glance.

"Way to sell me out, _brother-dear_.", he said behind gritted teeth, while Izumi had walked out from behind the counter and placed her hands on her hips as she stood in front of Ed.

"What is it that I've been trying to teach you all this time?", she demanded and before Edward could respond she answered for him, "If you let your emotions take control, you will lose every battle you will ever have to face! And I didn't train either of you to fight so you could waste your skill on meaningless duels. You know how to fight not only so you can defend yourselves and Winry, and Pinako, but so you also know the difference there is between fighting for what's right and what's wrong; the balance between life and death-"

She broke off as she suddenly raised her hand to cup over her mouth and turned her head. There were several long, ragged coughs and Sig suddenly ran from behind the counter to hold her up as she began to lean against the wall for support.

"Honey, are you alright?", he asked.

"Oh, I'm just fine, dear.", Izumi replied, her demeanor changing entirely, "I suppose it's just time for me to take some more medicine." Sig nodded helped lead her back behind the counter to the back part of the shop that connected with their living quarters. After a few minutes he returned again, wiping his hands off with a rag which he set to the side as he handed back the change Winry was due as well the beef she had purchased, wrapped in a cloth and tied with a short piece of string. Silence had fallen over them, but eventually Edward spoke up.

"Has she.. been getting any better?", he asked and received a withering glance in return from Sig.

He sighed and lowered his voice. "She's strong, she's doing her best, and she would never forgive me if I said anything else."

Edward nodded. "I hope she gets better soon."

"Let us know if there's anything we can do.", Alphonse added.

Sig nodded and there was a hint of a grin on his face, "You two just stay out of trouble. At least with Winry, I don't have to worry."

The girl grinned and waved as she trailed after the Elric brothers as they left the shop. As they began to walk back up the street and make their way back to their house, they passed by the two Musketeers who had once again mounted their horses and were riding in the opposite direction of them. Edward scowled as he locked eyes with the one that had pushed him earlier. The same Musketeer met his gaze and pulled back on the reins, ordering their horse to stop and tapped its side with their heel several times- a sort of command that caused the horse to lift one of its front legs and stamp it against the ground several times, causing more dust to rise and cake on to each of the children's existing layer on their clothes.

"There's no time for this!", the other Musketeer hissed, but the first was too busy laughing. Edward growled and nearly turned on his heel to face the both of them head on, but was stopped by Alphonse who reminded him, "What did Teacher just say?"

Edward lowered his head again and continued to walk with the other two the rest of the way home, with no further grumbling or curses.

That night, the Rockbell household was filled with the scent of a hearty stew and the sound of warm laughter as Edward, Alphonse, Winry, and Pinako dined and shared stories and jokes with one another. There hadn't been mention of the incident that had nearly occurred earlier in the day; Winry and Alphonse had silently decided Edward's embarrassment in front of the Curtises was punishment enough.

Pinako had lit her pipe after finishing her dinner and took a few puffs from it while raising an eyebrow. "All these years, and you've never learned to drink milk.", she said and indicated the full glass that sat in front of Edward.

"I just don't like it. It tastes gross.", he replied, "I don't know how many times I have to say it."

"Well maybe if you drank some, you'd get a little taller. It's certainly not too late, you know!"

"You've been drinking it your whole life and look where it's gotten you, you old hag!"

"Unbearable pipsqueak!"

"Four-eyed cretin!"

"Hey, what's Den barking about?", Alphonse suddenly interjected and all fell silent for a few moments as they listened and sure enough the dog continued to bark and snarl. Winry was the first to get up and run to the front door, followed by Edward, then Alphonse, then Pinako.

"What's the matter, girl?", Winry asked as she stepped outside. The dog hobbled to Winry and circled her once before barking again towards some shape in the darkness. Winry squinted and tried to make out what had spooked her, and all at once watched as what appeared to be a couple of embers grow into a steady flame and then to an inferno right in the spot where Edward and Alphonse's childhood house was.

"No..", she whispered, "Oh god, no!"

Edward reached the door then and his eyes widened as he quickly pulled on a cloak and ran out the door toward the forge, grabbing the first sword his hand reached for and ran as hard as he could up the hill to his house. He had not uttered a word yet, but the expression on his face spoke enough. Despite everything in him screaming to run to the well first and to begin throwing buckets of water on the flames he knew that if he made a scene he may not be able to face the culprits of this crime, although he was already certain of who was to blame.

Edward bent at his waist, keeping himself low and hiding in the tall grass as he approached the front of the house where two masked figures stood next to two black horses that grazed carefreely. Every bit of Edward's body was shaking in anger, but he tried to listen to at least a part of their conversation to see if it could give him some sort of reason, any reason, as to why they would do this.

"It was actually quite nice on the inside. Such a shame. If I cared at all for the countryside, I might have taken it for my summer home."

"There was no choice since there was no way to get into the office. Besides if Hohenheim were to ever return home, it only packs a greater punch for there to be no home to return to."

He had heard enough. Edward suddenly stood upright and bolted toward the two musketeers, screaming so loud that his lungs rattled. He cut through one of the musketeers cloaks before they could draw their sword and expected he had made a hit on their arm as well. As for the other, he met their blade with his own and pushed them back with as much force as he could muster- retribution for their actions earlier that afternoon. He would have continued to fight the woman, but she had already mounted her horse again and spurred it on up the dark road from whence the two had come from. It was obvious the other was meant to follow after her, but Edward would not allow them to get away so easily.

"You!", he shouted as he charged towards them again, "I'll make you pay for this!" The next few moments passed by in a blur for Edward, who was so infuriated he could barely make out the Musketeers shape if it weren't for the light of the flames illuminating the two of them. The sound of metal clashing against metal pierced the air several times before Edward's blade was met with a surface that sliced through with ease. The Musketeer stumbled back and Edward's vision cleared long enough to see the crimson pouring down their face, beneath their left eye.

"You little brat!", the Musketeer shrieked and Edward was able to block their next few attacks, before suddenly his sword was knocked from his hand and he felt a blade push past his side and heard the sound of tearing fabric. It was a close enough call that for a moment he thought he had actually been run through. He lurched forward and as the Musketeer retracted his blade he fell to the ground and acted to curl in on himself, coughing and attempting to apply pressure on his fictitious mortal wound, hoping the Musketeer wouldn't see through his bluff.

The Musketeer only laughed and raised their boot, pressing it against Edward's side while sneering; it took an additional amount of restraint for Edward to not give up the act right then and knock the bastard off his feet. The only reason why he hadn't recovered earlier was that the Musketeer had been so close to killing him just seconds before, he didn't want to give him an actual chance. Besides, he was in a position now that no longer allowed him to make any such recovery.

"You should have just minded your own business, boy.", the Musketeer said while pressing a hand to the wound beneath his eye, "Now die slowly." The Musketeer removed their boot, and spat on Edward before turning and running back to their horse, mounting it, and following after the woman.

Edward did not even wait until he was out of sight before jumping back to his feet and wiping the spit off of his face. He threw a few silent curses his way then turned and faced the house. The flames had already reached the roof and the heat of the blaze burned his face while the force was so strong it acted as a breeze and blew back his hair. He ran back to the side of the house where Alphonse and Winry heaved bucketfuls of water from the well onto the flames. In the distance he watched as Pinako struggled to carry two extra buckets up the hill. He ran down the side to meet her, and took one from her, some of the water sloshing out of it and falling to the dirt below.

There were few words exchanged between the four of them for the next hour except for the occasional 'Watch out!' or 'Over here, hurry!' and eventually the four succeeded to reduce flames back to the embers they had started from; a faint orange glow sat around the foundation of the house and smoke continued to rise and fill all of their lungs. Edward's body was still shaking. It was then that he could hear someone crying. He looked at Alphonse who was understandably wide eyed and pale in the glow of the moonlight, but no tears had been shed from him. He turned again and saw it was Winry who was also shaking and had tears streaming down her face.

Before he could ask why she was crying, the girl stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in tightly. "I'm sorry.", she choked out between sobs, "I'm so sorry, Ed." Edward raised his arms, but had not returned the hug yet and looked around with wide eyes. Soon after he watched as Alphonse approached the two of them then wrapped his arms around him and Winry; his eyes were also shining. Then Edward could feel as his own eyes began to burn and he buried his face against Winry's neck and then leaned on Alphonse's shoulder. When he looked up, he watched as Pinako stood from a distance and assessed the damages that had been done to the house; she had taken off her glasses and was shaking her head.

Edward felt his chest grow tighter by the second, but the pain was not from grief over something that was lost, but rage for something that was taken; he would make both of those bastards pay for this. No matter what he had to do, where he had to go, he would get his revenge tenfold- the law be damned. As the night continued and Alphonse and Winry tried to convince him to come back down to the house, Edward refused and insisted he stayed outside just in case the flames would rise up again or either of the Musketeers tried to return to make sure their job was done. For hours Edward paced the perimeter of his house, sword in hand, ready for a rematch that never came. He eventually found a place to sit at the wood chopping block, then opted to sit on the ground and lean against it after a couple minutes. When morning came, he would be found still leaning against it with his sword still gripped in his hand and his shoulders hunched forward. The dawn would not greet him pleasantly. As soon as the sun rose over the hill he opened his eyes and was able to properly see the charred, blackened wood and how the structure seemed to be leaning forward, ready to collapse in. He remembered the Musketeers having spoke about his father's office and how they couldn't get inside. _What the hell could they have possibly needed in there?_, he wondered.If it hadn't been destroyed yet, Edward was soon to find out.


End file.
